Shuttle's milestones

By
a staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor /
September 12, 1980

Washington

NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has a colorfully decorated chart that shows milestones of the space shuttle: August, 1972 -- NASA gets approval to proceed with the shuttle project.

February, 1977 -- First flight of the shuttle riding piggyback on a jet transport plane.

August, 1977 -- First approach and landing test by the shuttle craft "Enterprise." March, 1981 -- First launch of a shuttle, the "Columbia." There will be 12 flights by Columbia, the fifth one being the end of testing, after which the shuttle becomes operational.